1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a fillet board for fish.
2. Related Art
Virtually all fish, after being caught, require some method of making the edible flesh available to eat. One of the most desirable ways to provide fish meat is as a fillet in which the larger longitudinal, or side, portions of the fish meat are excised from the body, providing fish meat that is free of bones and skin. While filleting a fish is one of the most desirable ways to prepare fish, not all fish are as easily filleted as others. For example, bullhead and catfish possess spines on their pectoral and dorsal fins, commonly referred to as horns. Bullhead and catfish horns are extremely stiff and sharp and in some species of catfish are venomous. The presence of horns requires careful handling of the bullhead and particularly catfish and makes filleting such fish quite difficult, as the size and stiffness of the horns make it difficult to lay the fish flat on its side to fillet the fish.
There are a variety of fillet boards available that attempt to make filleting fish easier; however, Such fillet boards are not easily usable with fish having horns. One such fillet board is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,116,279 to Perry. Perry discloses a folding fillet board, which is essentially a portable platform having a central clamp for the fish's tail and a movable hook to aid in hands-free removal of the carcass. Another fillet board devised to aid in fish filleting is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,030,164, to Fick, which describes a fillet board with a serrated oval opening so that the fish's gill flap or operculum fits within the opening, holding the fish to the fillet board and providing a flat surface for filleting the fish. U.S. Pat. No. 3,878,586 to Hoppert et al. discloses a catfish cleaning board. Hoppert et al. avoid the problem of fish horns by securing the fish on its belly for cleaning, a position that makes filleting a fish very difficult.